act now, act now! like he said... ♪ making news this morning, moments of chaos. >> the dramatic and damaging radio transmission. the coast guard pleading with the captain of the "costa concordia" to get back on the ship. we're live from italy. lockdown at the white house over night. a massive show of force. and major websites have gone black, offline today, trying to send a message to congress. gad morning, everyone. i'm rob nelson.

>> and i'm paula faris. it's day five for survivors off the italian coast. >> day five if in fact some of the two dozen missing are still alive. hom captain is home on house aresz. >> divers had to stop the search this morning after the ship moved slightly. >> a prayer service will be held tonight for the minnesota couple still missing in the wreckage. >> our lama hasan is on a ferry out to the scene. the search is suspended. what is the latest? >> reporter: this morning, there are reports that the search is suspended because the ship moved once again. once it shifts, it becomes too dangerous for the rescue workers to continue underwater. it has stabilized. but it's so unpredictable. with bad weather coming this way, it's anyone's guess when it

will resume. we're told they have just two to three days before they finish searching the entire ship. not only -- not only is it dangerous if it shifts for the underwater divers, or the rescue workers, it has the potential on to break apart, because it's perched on an underwater ledge. if it moves, it could pick up 200, maybe more feet of water. if it does that, what happens to the fuel on board? there's 500,000 gallons of fuel on board. you can imagine the potential environmental disaster if that happens. >> you're on the ferry back to the scene. the search crews are a day or two from wrapping up. then the salvage process begins. how does that process workworkw? what do we know? >> reporter: you're right. a dutch company has been drafted in to begin pumping the half

million gallons. that's the first step needed to be done before taking the ship away. the company has to decide whether or not it's worth salvaging or breaking it apart for scraps. the whole process could take anywhere from two to four weeks. that depends on the weather and what happens with the weather. it has 17 tanks on board. so far, there's been no fuel spill. the coast guard officials said they have it under control. they're preparing for a potential oil spill. they have already put boom around it. paula and rob? >> abc's lama hasan, live at the scene, stay safe. the disgraced ship captain has returned home to naples. his wife was besieged by reporters and photographers as she tried to enter the couple's home. >> he slipped in the back door away from the glaring lights. with new details on his role in the tragedy, here's chris cuomo.

>> reporter: we learned more about why chaos overtook the dex of the "costa concordia." the startling audio tape between the coast guard and the captain revealed the captain sitting safely on a rescue boat while the rest of the crew and passengers were struggling to escape. the official demands, you go on the ship, tell me if there are people that need help. it will be very bad for you. get back on board. schettino, the veteran captain, also popular are passengers, is seen here. he has no good answers. officer, please. there are no pleases, get back on board. he tells him how serious the situation is.

there are already bodies, schettino. go. do you realize it's dark out here and we can't see anything what do you want to do? do you want to go home? it's dark to you want to go home? the captain's final explanation seems unlikely. i can no longer get on board now, the ship has sunk completely. with 100 people still on board you abandoned ship. i did not abandon any ship. the ship was sinking so we jumped in the water. we'll clarify later what actually happened. for now, tell me everything that goes on. everything. but the captain never returned aboard the vessel. where he was desperately needed. >> a coward. we're fighting for our lives. he's more concerned about himself. >> reporter: chris cuomo, abc news, rome, italy. >> definitely cowardly behavior there. more on the case against the

captain on "good morning america" later on at 7:00. we turn to a more upbeat assessment of the economy. from an abc poll released overnight. 68% of those polled say the country is on the wrong track. that number is down from 77%. 45% are saying the economy is starting to recover. that's up nine points from november. more americans trust the president over congressional republicans. mitt romney's personal economics are suddenly a campaign focus. he says he pays the irs about 15% of his income. that's far less than if his earnings were wages not gains from investments. here's his answer about other sources of income. >> i get a little bit of income from my book. i gave it all away. i get speaker's fees from time

to time. but not very much. >> he said not very much. it turned out he made more than $370,000. that, alone, places his income among the top 1% of all americans. that suggested his overall income was a whole lot larger. in other news this morning, hazmat teams descended on the white house after someone threw a smoke bomb over the fence. a tweet went out from occupy organizers saying, someone chucked something over the fence. it's on fire. someone is saying it was a firecracker. the secret service confirming it's a smoke bomb. the president and the first lady missed haul that excitement. they were out celebrating the first lady's 48th birthday. they had a dinner at a fancy steak place and were joined by

close friends. if you're in seattle, time to make some snow angels. time for the weather across the nation. the pacific northwest getting hit. seattle, 5 to 10 inches. three feet will fall in the cascades. a blustery day from new york to d.c. showers from savannah to parts of florida. >> much warmer than usual in the southern rockies. the upper midwest is still in the deep freeze. fargo inching up to 2 degrees. it was zero yesterday. miami and honolulu the hot spots at a lovely sounding 79. dallas, new orleans, and atlanta in the mid-50s. >> 59 sounds lovely. 39 sounds lovely. much more on the storme nort the northwest ahead. plus, what's behind the online protest today making it impossible to access some websites. and a new legal battle for

country superstar garth brooks. headed back to court today. stay with us.

welcome back, everybody. the world bank warns that there could be a slump in the global economic growth this year. it blames europe's financial woes and slower growth in developing countries as well. most european countries are already in a recession. it will slow growth in this country as well. asian markets were higher today expecting good news from china. tokyo's nikkei average was up 84

points. hong kong's hang seng gained 59. in london, the ftse opened higher but headed down on the world bank report. on wall street, the dow picked up 60 points. the nasdaq index rose 17. your favorite website might not be available today. it's offline as part of a protest against the anti-piracy bills in front of congress. google takes a shot at what some are calling attempted censorship. some are not participating in the protest at all. there's a coffee war brewing. the tim horton's chain is adding an extra large 24-ouncer. it's bigger than starbucks venti, a mere 20 ounces. horton's is based in canada but has a lot of locations in the united states. >> we'll take any size on this

shift. coming up next, almost dropped it. on this wednesday morning. i totally spilled it. a supersnowstorm battling through the pacific northwest. seattle getting geared up for a once in a generation event today. the morning jog from this runner who is 100 years young. i do have a healthy diet, i] but there are foods that i had no idea had so much acid in them. my dentist said that the acid in fruit, or fruit juice or fruit teas softens the enamel so that then it can potentially erode. once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel to help harden that enamel so that it's not brushed away. pronamel protects your teeth from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. i can have the best of both worlds with pronamel.

i've discovered gold. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol... the gold standard in anti-aging. clinically proven to give 10 years back to the look of skin. nothing's better than gold. [ female announcer ] roc® retinol correxion deep wrinkle night cream. well, if it's bone-chilling where you are this morning, take a few seconds to soak this in. the crystal clear waters of the florida keys. but there's actually something serious going on. the best sailors in the world are competing in the key west regatta. it goes through friday. but by the looks of it, i think these guys are from michigan, they have already won. >> a nice life. enjoy. i-5 from seattle to northern california will be snowy. parts of i-84 could be closed in

the northern rockies. i-95 from south carolina to jacksonville and i-10 from jacksonville to tallahassee could be a little slippery. if you're flying, airport delays are possible in salt lake city, seseattle, boston, and ne york. school is canceled in seattle as they prepare for a big snowstorm. >> washington and seven other states are underry this morning. weather advisory this morning. with more, here's abc's neal karlinsky. >> reporter: when it come to snow in the pacific northwest, it doesn't take much to cause chaos. they're bracing for an entire year's worth of winter in just one day. already in the past few days, just a few inches have sent cars spinning. >> i've been driving a truck for 16 years. this is the first time i have ever spun out. it's slick. very slick. >> reporter: which is why seattle is on high alert for a full-scale disaster. at the emergency operations

center, the man in charge didn't mince words. >> it can be very challenging. can we deliver critical services? >> reporter: the city has a history of grinding to a halt with a touch of extreme cold. a rare ice storm in 2010 left me stuck in my car for six hours with my mother and young daughter. >> and i need to go to the bathroom. >> reporter: the problem is lots of hills and no way to keep them clear. seattle has a tiny fleet of about 20 salt trucks and far too many roads and bridges to keep up with. that is why a region-wide winter storm warning could have a paralyzing effect. >> this does have the potential to shut things for even beyond one day. maybe two days. >> reporter: schools are closing, salt trucks are staging. all getting ready for an avalanche of winter in one afternoon. neal karlinsky, abc news, seattle. >> of course that snowstorm is now just getting started. we'll have live updates later on "good morning america." one child and the bus driver involved in a school bus crash

in texas are listed in critical condition this morning. it happened when a tractor trailer ran a stop sign and clipped the bus. which then flipped it on its side. the bus driver was knocked unconscious. one child ejected through a roof hatch. 32 people treated at a hospital, 29 of them children. and opening set for todare set for today in garth brooks' lawsuit against a hospital in oklahoma. he says the hospital refused to name a building at the hospital for his late mother after he made a $500,000 donation. the hospital claims it's done nothing wrong, saying brooks' donation was unconditional. it's time now for sports. that means a big, in-state college basketball battle. here's will selva. good morning. michigan and michigan state facing each other for the first time as ranked teams in the top 25 since february of 1998. denard robinson getting into it.

part of the student section. he would be all geeked up douglas from the wing. michigan up, seven at the half. tim hardaway jr. exploding. spartans down two. brandon kerney, merely dropping change in the toll booth. spartans, leading by one. trey burke. where is trey? there he is, living up to his first name. that's a bomb. ties it up at 52-52. hardaway jr. he says, give me the rock. who can quibble with timmy? michigan down one. under 1:00 to go, burke, douglas -- michigan taking the one-point lead. last chance for the spartans. green, heavily defended. the floater, no. michigan wins upsetting the spartans. denard robinson is very, very happy. as well he should. anthony davis, number two, kentucky, taking on arkansas at home.

first half, davis with a block on b.j. young. davis' block sets a kentucky record for most blocks by a kentucky player in a season with 84. kentucky up 17. davis, a career-high 27 points, as kentucky rolls, 86-63. that will do it for this update. i'm will selva. i got four words for you, rob, hail to the victors. >> oh, there you go. you michigan fan, you. wait until they play my tarheels. up next, "the pulse" this morning. a surprise by ricky gervais about his golden globes hosting job. and the backlash over the claim that paula deen's had diabetes for years. backlash over the claim that paula deen's had diabetes for years. -one. -two.

-three. -one. two. three. one. -two. -three. -one. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] with the bankamericard cash rewards credit card, earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% back on groceries. and 3% back on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. -it's as easy as...1. -two. -three. [ male announcer ] 1, 2, 3 percent cash back for the things you buy most. the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

forty years ago, he wasn't looking for financial advice. back then he had something more important to do. he wasn't focused on his future. but fortunately, somebody else was. at usaa we provide retirement planning

for our military, veterans and the now more than ever, it's important to get financial advice from people who share your military values. for our free usaa retirement guide, call 877-242-usaa. welcome back, everybody. time to check "the pulse" this morning, the stories you'll be talking about. coffee did nothing. the stories you'll be talking about today. starting with the queen of southern-fried cooking. >> paula deen is taking heat for waiting three years to say that she was diagnosed with type ii diabetes. >> one of her biggest critics is anthony bourdain. he says when your signature dish is hamburger between a doughnut, and you have been cheerfully selling this stuff all along knowing that you have diabetes, it's in bad taste if nothing

else. >> i have to be honest, hard to disagree with him. she's saying practice moderation, y'all. good advice. >> did she really say y'all? >> i'm quite sure. >> you do a good paula deen impression. >> you know i love the south. ricky gervais says he's done hosting the golden globes. he told his agent never to let him be persuaded to do it again. >> he said sunday night's performance was by far his favorite. noting that the crowd seemed more accepting of his biting humor this time, or maybe they were quote drunker. happy birthday to bill finch in greenville north carolina. he hits the track to run a mile twice a week, even though he just turned 100 years old last weekend. >> not only does he run, he gets out there on the badminton court adds well. he says he has no secret for his longevity. he says turning 100 is no big deal. >> one friend says he has no enemies because he outlived them all.

hey, age is a state of mind. you go, bill. looking good. >> for some of you, your local news is next. for everyone else, a navy veteran waits nearly 70 years for the recognition he deserves. veteran waits nearly 70 years for the recognition he deserves. it's not the bayer aspirin you know. it's different. first, it's been re-engineered with micro-particles. second, it enters the bloodstream fast, and rushes relief to the site of your tough pain. the best part? it's proven to relieve pain twice as fast as before. bayer advanced aspirin. test how fast it works for you. love it, or get your money back. gives you a 50% annual bonus! so you earn 50% more cash. according to research, everybody likes more cash. well, almost everybody... ♪ would you like 50% more cash? no! but it's more money. [ male announcer ] the new capital one cash rewards card.

the card for people who want 50% more cash. what's in your wallet? woah! [ giggles ] ♪ eat well, live long ♪ have a good daisy, work out, get strong ♪ ♪ when you need a lift, just sing a song ♪ ♪ and have a good daisy ♪ have a good daisy with a natural treat ♪ ♪ have a good daisy, healthy foods to eat ♪ ♪ when you want some joy, dance to the beat ♪ ♪ and have a good daisy [ female announcer ] enjoy the fresh, 100% natural choice in cottage cheese. ♪ have a good daisy ♪ have a good daisy

what you need to know if you hoping to get tickets. a group is closing in on its own plan to stop the new stadium. deadline coming this morning. meteorologist mike nicco has the forecast. >> not as cold this morning.; update on the rain. >> traffic as well so please join us updating our top stories

now. the search for cruise ship victims was suspended today after the giant ship moved slightly. the captain is under house arrest. three other ship officers could be charged today as well. mitt romney's finances are under increased scrutiny after he said he pays only 15% for federal income taxes, far less than the average american. people are focused on the west where they're expecting a snowstorm today. classes have already been canceled ahead of the storm. the northwest, another blast of arctic air. for the upper midwest. blustery conditions along the east coast. and finally this morning, an incredible act of bravery that's gone largely unnoticed. at least until now.ro denied hi because of racism is finally recognized 66 years later, given what may be the last combat

medal ever awarded to a world war ii vet. david wright reports. >> reporter: steward first class carl clark waited 60 years for this. at 95, it's years since he last wore his dress blues. a uniform made complete with the addition of a medal he earned when he was 29. during world war ii, black men could enlist. but the only jobs open to them back then were stewards. >> taking care of officers. feeding them their meals. turning their rooms. shrining their shoes. >> reporter: of course, when the ship came under attack, they manned battle stations with the rest of the crew. >> our ship was hit by nine kamikazes. >> reporter: they did so in may, on board the uss aaron ward. he was fighting fires on deck and helping the wounded. >> i was the only survivor of an eight-man damage-control team.

i stared at the pilot as he guided his plane right into our ship. >> reporter: single handedly, he kept the fires from reaching the big guns. saving the ship from exploding. >> we lost over 40 men that day. >> reporter: while his white comrades received medals for bravery, clark did not. even though the ship's captain strongly felt he deserved it. the navy finally set that right. the secretary of the navy pinned the medal himself. a country's debt finally repaid. they made a big deal about this. >> all these people and all this applause and all that, it's fairly almost overwhelming. >> reporter: david wright, abc news, california. >> heroism has no color. >> he looked amazing for 95. that's what's making news in america this morning. stay with us for "good morning america." have a great wednesday.